Conversion of alphabetic words into a plurality of independent spellings

ABSTRACT

A method of automatically converting alphabetic text written in a text based language into a non-text based language. The method can include parsing the text to identify at least one word. The method also can include via a processor, identifying within a lexicon database data corresponding to the word, wherein the data corresponding to the word identifies at least one pictograph or symbol selected from a group of pictographs or symbols consisting of between twenty seven and thirty three distinct pictographs or symbols that visually look different than the text, wherein each pictograph or symbol corresponds to a unique speech sound of the text based language. The pictograph or symbol can be rendered in a view.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/277,715, filed Oct. 20, 2011, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/536,272, filed Sep. 28, 2006, both ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For a typical child, the process of learning to read and write usuallybegins during the pre-school years or kindergarten. Using conventionalteaching methods, a child initially learns to identify the letters ofthe alphabet. Then, beginning with short two and three letter words, thechild is taught to string together the sounds of the letters to identifywords. Once the child has become proficient at reading short words, theprocess can be expanded to teach the child to sound out and spell longerwords, eventually leading to reading and writing. Unfortunately,teaching a child to read and write using conventional methods can be alengthy process. It is not until about the third grade that a typicalchild becomes relatively proficient at reading.

Graphic objects that are recognizable to children are sometimes used tofacilitate the learning process. For example, a pictograph of an applecan be associated with the letter “a,” a pictograph of an egg can beassociated with the letter “e,” and a pictograph of an umbrella can beassociated with the letter “u.” To generate learning materials thatinclude such pictographs can be very costly, however, due to thecomplexity in correctly associating the pictographs with the letters.Indeed, such processes are typically performed quasi-manually using agraphics application and can be very labor intensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method of automatically convertingalphabetic text written in a text based language into a non-text basedlanguage. The method can include parsing the text to identify at leastone word. The method also can include via a processor, identifyingwithin a lexicon database data corresponding to the word, wherein thedata corresponding to the word identifies at least one pictographselected from a group of pictographs consisting of between twenty sevenand thirty three distinct pictographs that visually look different thanthe text, wherein each pictograph in the group of pictographscorresponds to a unique speech sound of the text based language. The atleast one pictograph can be rendered in a view.

In another embodiment, the method can include parsing the text toidentify at least one word. The method also can include via a processor,identifying within a lexicon database data corresponding to the word,wherein the data corresponding to the word identifies at least onesymbol selected from a group of symbols consisting of between twentyseven and thirty three distinct symbols that visually look differentthan the text, wherein each symbol in the group of symbols correspondsto a unique speech sound of the text based language. The at least onesymbol can be rendered in a view.

In another embodiment, the method can include identifying a readinglevel of a person. When the reading level of the person is below athreshold level, the method can include, via a processor, identifyingwithin a lexicon database data corresponding to the word, wherein thedata corresponding to the word identifies at least one pictographselected from a group of pictographs that visually look different thanthe text, wherein each pictograph in the group of pictographscorresponds to a unique speech sound of the text based language. The atleast one pictograph can be rendered in a view.

When the reading level of the person is at least equal to the thresholdlevel, the method can include parsing the text to identify at least oneword. The method further can include, via the processor, identifyingwithin the lexicon database data corresponding to the word, wherein thedata corresponding to the word identifies at least one symbol selectedfrom a group of symbols that visually look different than the text,wherein each symbol in the group of symbols corresponds to a uniquespeech sound of the text based language. The at least one symbol can berendered in the view.

Another embodiment of the present invention can include a computerprogram product for converting alphabetic text written in a text basedlanguage into a non-text based language. The computer program productcan include a computer-readable storage device having computer-readableprogram code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program codeincluding computer-readable program code configured to perform thevarious operations and/or functions disclosed within this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described belowin more detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a textual conversion system that is useful forunderstanding the present invention;

FIG. 2 depicts conversions of textual input that are useful forunderstanding the present invention;

FIG. 3 depicts another arrangement of the conversions of textual inputpresented in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 depicts additional conversions of textual input that are usefulfor understanding the present invention;

FIG. 5 depicts a group of pictographs corresponding to unique speechsounds that are useful for understanding the present invention;

FIG. 6 depicts a group of symbols corresponding to unique speech soundsthat are useful for understanding the present invention;

FIG. 7 depicts a group of visual attributes that are useful forunderstanding the present invention; and

FIG. 8 depicts a flowchart illustrating a method of convertingalphabetic text written in a text based language into a non-text basedlanguage that is useful for understanding the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer-readablemedium(s) having computer-readable program code embodied, e.g., stored,thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer-readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer-readable medium may be a computer-readable signalmedium or a computer-readable storage device. A computer-readablestorage device may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readablestorage device would include the following: a portable computerdiskette, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a randomaccess memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmableread-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a portable compact discread-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disc (DVD), an opticalstorage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combinationof the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer-readablestorage device may be any non-transitory storage medium that cancontain, or store a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

A computer-readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer-readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer-readable signal medium may be any computer-readable medium thatis not a computer-readable storage device and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer-readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber, cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing. Computer program code for carrying out operations foraspects of the present invention may be written in any combination ofone or more programming languages, including an object orientedprogramming language such as Java™, Smalltalk, C++ or the like andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The program codemay execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user'scomputer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user'scomputer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on the remotecomputer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the user's computer through any type of network, includinga local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or theconnection may be made to an external computer (for example, through theInternet using an Internet Service Provider).

Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustration and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustration and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer, other programmable data processing apparatus,or other devices create means for implementing the functions/actsspecified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmabledata processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

Arrangements described herein relate to a method and a system forteaching people (e.g., children) how to read. Specifically, alphabetictext written in a text based language, such as English, can be convertedinto a non-text based language, for example a pictograph based language,to facilitate recognition of unique speech sounds by a reader. As thereader progresses with understanding of the unique speech sounds, areading level can be assigned to the reader. When the reading level ofthe reader reaches a threshold value, the alphabetic text written in thetext based language can be converted into a symbol based language.Symbols in the symbol based language can include visual attributes ofcorresponding alphabet letters (hereinafter “letters”) in the text basedlanguage, while also including visual attributes of corresponding topictographs, thereby facilitating the transition from reading thepictograph based language to reading the text based language.

FIG. 1 depicts a textual conversion system (hereinafter “system”) 100that is useful for understanding the present invention. The system 100can be embodied as a computer (e.g. personal computer, server,workstation, mobile computer, etc.) or an application specific textualconversion device. The system 100 can include a processor 105. Theprocessor 105 can comprise, for example, a central processing unit(CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), aplurality of discrete components that cooperate to process data, and/orany other suitable processing device. The processor 105 can becommunicatively linked to various internal and/or external devicesand/or systems via a communication bus and/or one or more communicationports.

In illustration, the system 100 can include a computer-readable storagedevice (hereinafter “storage device”) 110. The storage device 110 caninclude one or more data storage devices, such as any of thosepreviously described. In one arrangement, the storage device 110 can beintegrated into the processor 105, though this need not be the case.

One or more user interface devices can be provided with the system 100.For example, the system 100 can include tactile input devices 115, suchas a keyboard, a mouse and/or a touchpad. The tactile input devices 115can receive tactile user inputs to enter or select textual inputcontaining words that are to be converted in accordance with the methodsand process described herein. The textual input can be received fromother devices, however, for example from the storage device 110 or fromanother device or system to which the system 100 is communicativelylinked.

The system 100 also can include an image capture device 120, forinstance a scanner. The image capture device 120 can capture images oftext to be entered into the system 100 for conversion. An opticalcharacter recognition (OCR) application 125 can be provided to converttext contained in captured images into textual input. The OCRapplication 125 can be contained on the storage device 110 or in anyother suitable storage device.

An audio input transducer (e.g. microphone) 130 also can be provided todetect acoustic signals, such as spoken utterances, and generatecorresponding audio signals. The audio input transducer 130 can becommunicatively linked to an audio processor 135, which can process theaudio signals as required for processing by the processor 105. Forexample, the audio processor 135 can include an analog to digitalconverter (ADC) to convert an analog audio signal into a digital audiosignal, and equalization components to equalize the audio signal. Theaudio processor 135 can forward the audio signals to the processor 105,which can execute a speech recognition application 140 to convert theaudio signals into textual input.

Additional input/output (I/O) devices 145 also can be provided toreceive data from, or send data to, one or more other devices orsystems. Examples of such devices 145 can include, but are not limitedto, a network adapter, a transceiver, and a communication portcontroller. Examples of a communication port include, but are notlimited to, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an IEEE-1394 port, aserial communication port, a parallel communication port, an ATA port, aSATA port, and the like. Such I/O devices and communication ports cancommunicatively link the system 100 to another device or system. Inillustration, a network adapter can communicatively link the system 100to another device or system via a communication network such as a LAN, awireless LAN (WLAN), a WAN, a cellular communication network, theInternet and/or any other suitable communication network.

The system 100 also can include an output device, such as display 150,in which a visual field can be presented. In one arrangement, thedisplay 150 can be a touch screen which can receive tactile inputs toenter the textual input. In addition to, or in lieu of, the display 150,the system 100 also can include a printer 155 as an output device. Theprinter 155 can print the visual field onto paper or any other suitableprint medium.

A text conversion application 160 can be contained on the storage device110. The text conversion application 160 can be executed by theprocessor 105 to implement the methods and process described herein. Forexample, the text conversion application 160 can receive textual inputfrom the tactile input devices 115, the OCR application 125, the speechrecognition application 140, the input/output devices 145, the display150 or any other device suitable for providing textual input. The textconversion application 160 then can process the textual input toidentify words contained in the textual input and convert such wordsinto a plurality of word objects. The word objects then can becommunicated to the input/output devices 145, the display 150 and/or theprinter 155 for presentation in a visual field. In particular, wordobjects that correlate to a particular word can be presented in a mannerin which they are visually associated.

A lexicon database 165 also can be contained on the storage device 110.The lexicon database can include data corresponding to various words ofa text based language, such as English. The text conversion application160 can access the lexicon database 165 when processing the textualinput to convert words contained in the textual input into the wordobjects.

The data can correlate the words with word objects that themselvescontain phonetic objects, such as pictographs or symbols. Inillustration, each word in the text based language can represent one ormore unique speech sounds, and the word objects to which the words arecorrelated can contain phonetic objects representing those same uniquespeech sounds. For example, each word of the text based language can becorrelated to word objects containing pictographs (“pictograph wordobjects”) and to word objects containing symbols (“symbol wordobjects”). Thus, each corresponding pictograph word object can containone or more pictographs corresponding to those same unique speechsounds, and each corresponding symbol word object can contain one ormore symbols corresponding to those same unique sounds. The pictographword objects and symbol word objects collectively will be referred toherein as “phonetic word objects.”

The data also can correlate the words with word objects containingcorresponding letters of the text based language (“letter wordobjects”). In other words, the letter word objects can contain the sameletters as their corresponding words. However, spacing between theletters can be selectively applied so that the letters align withcorresponding pictographs and/or symbols in corresponding pictographword objects and/or symbol word objects.

FIG. 2 depicts conversions 200, 202 of textual input “This is a shortline” in accordance with the inventive arrangements described herein.For each word contained in the textual input, a plurality of wordobjects can be generated. For instance, for the word “This,” a letterword object 204 having a spelling comprising letter objects 206, 208,210, 212 can be generated, and a phonetic word object 214 having aspelling comprising phonetic objects 216, 218, 220. The word objects204, 214 can be rendered for presentation to a user. For example, theword objects 204, 214 can be rendered to a display or rendered in aprintout generated by a printer (e.g., printed to paper or the like).

Notably, the phonetic objects 216-220 can take various forms tofacilitate comprehension and the invention is not limited in thisregard. In illustration, the phonetic objects 216-220 can be pictographsor symbols that visually look different than the text, but correspond tounique speech sounds represented by the text.

The phonetic word object 214 can be positioned in the visual field (e.g.on a display or in print) such that it is visually associated with theletter word object 204. For example, the phonetic word object 214 can bepositioned over, under or beside the letter word object 204. Further,the phonetic objects 216, 218, 220 can be positioned so as to beassociated with the letter objects 206, 208, 210, 212 to which theycorrelate. For example, the phonetic object 216 can correlate to thecombination of the letter objects 206, 208 (“Th”), and thus can bepositioned so as to convey such correlation. In the example, thephonetic object 216 is positioned directly below the letter object 206.However, the phonetic object 216 also may be positioned above or besidethe letter object 206, or above, below or beside the letter object 208.Still, the phonetic object 216 can be positioned in any other mannersuitable to convey the correlation between the phonetic object 216 andthe letter objects 206, 208 and the invention is not limited in thisregard.

The phonetic object 218 can correlate to the letter object 210 and thephonetic object 220 can correlate to the letter object 212. Accordingly,in the example, the phonetic object 218 can be positioned below theletter object 210 and the phonetic object 220 can be positioned belowthe letter object 212. A blank phonetic object 222 can be aligned withthe letter object 208, which can indicate that the letter object 208 isto be combined with its adjacent letter object 206 for the purposes ofpronunciation. In this example, the phonetic object 216 can representthe sound produced when uttering “th.”

As pronounced, some words are formed using sounds that are not indicatedby their conventional spelling. Nonetheless, when teaching a child toread, it can be beneficial to indicate such sounds to facilitate thechild's grasp of the words. For example, the word “line” is typicallypronounced by uttering two distinct sounds represented by the letter“i.” Accordingly, two phonetic objects 224, 226 can be associated withthe “i” letter object 228. In the word object 244, the letter object 228can be followed by a blank letter object 230. The blank letter object230 can indicate that both phonetic objects 224, 226 are associated withthe letter object 228.

To facilitate automated conversion of input text into the conversions200, 202, at least one physical dimension of the letter word object 204can be substantially equivalent to at least one physical dimension ofthe phonetic word object 214. For example, in an arrangement in whichthe letter and phonetic word objects 204, 214 are vertically aligned, awidth 232 of the letter word object 204 can be equal to a width 234 ofthe phonetic word object 214. Accordingly, as the words are parsed fromthe textual input to generate the letter and phonetic word objects 204,214, such word objects 204, 214 can be sequentially positioned to formthe conversions 200, 202 without the need to perform additionalalignment steps. Of course, spaces 236, 238 can be inserted betweenadjacent word objects 240, 242, 244 to distinguish individual words.

In an alternative embodiment, a width of each of the phonetic objects216, 218, 220 can be substantially equivalent to a width of the letterobjects 206, 208, 210, 212 to which they correspond. Since the phoneticobject 216 corresponds to two letter objects 206, 208, the blankphonetic object 222 can be inserted between the phonetic object 216 andthe phonetic object 218, and can have a width equal to the letter object208. In another arrangement, the width of the phonetic object 216 can beequal to the combined width of the letter objects 206, 208.

In one aspect of the inventive arrangements described herein, afterindividual words have been parsed from the textual input, the letter andphonetic word objects 204, 214 that correspond to the parsed words canbe selected from one or more data objects, such as data files or datatables. For example, if a first word parsed from the textual inputsentence is “this,” the word “this” can be processed to identify andselect the letter word object 204 and the phonetic word object 214. Forinstance, structured query language (SQL) can be implemented to generatea query to the lexicon database that performs the selection of theletter and phonetic word objects 204, 214 from the data file(s) and/ordata table(s). Notwithstanding, the selection of the letter and phoneticword objects 204, 214 can be performed in any other suitable manner.Because the letter word object 204 is a first word of a sentence, aversion of that word object can be selected in which its first letter“T” is capitalized. A version of the letter word object 204 also can beavailable in which the letter “t” is not capitalized. Such version canbe selected if the parsed word is not the first word in the textualinput sentence.

The plurality of word objects 204, 214 that correspond to any word canbe generated to have at least one dimensional parameter that issubstantially the same. For example, for a particular font size, theword objects 204, 214 that correlate to a particular word each can havethe same width. The dimensional parameters can be dynamically variablebased on the font size that is selected so long as such dimensionalvariation is applied substantially equally to each of the word objects204, 214.

In an alternate arrangement, at least one dimensional parameter of eachof the phonetic objects 216, 222, 218, 220 can be substantiallyequivalent to a dimensional parameter of one or more of the letterobjects 206, 208, 210, 212 to which the phonetic objects 216, 222, 218,220 correspond. For example, a width of the phonetic object 216 can besubstantially the same as the width of the letter object 206, a width ofthe blank phonetic object 222 can be substantially the same as the widthof the letter object 208, and so on. Similarly, the width of thephonetic object 224 can be substantially the same as the width of theletter object 228, and the width of the phonetic object 226 can besubstantially the same as the width of the blank letter object 230.Again, the dimensional parameters can be dynamically variable based onthe font size that is selected so long as such dimensional variation isapplied substantially equally to each of the letter objects 206, 208,210, 212 and their corresponding phonetic objects 216, 222, 218, 220.

In one aspect of the invention, the letter word objects 204 can bepresented with visual effects that distinguish the letter word objects204 from the phonetic word objects 214. For example, the letter objects206, 208, 210, 212 can be presented with a font color that is differentthan the color in which the phonetic objects 216, 218, 220 arepresented. In another arrangement, the letter objects 206, 208, 210, 212can be presented with a font that, in comparison to the phonetic objects216, 218, 220, contrasts less with a background of the visual field inwhich the letter and phonetic word objects 204, 214 are presented. Forexample, the letter objects 206, 208, 210, 212 can be presented in ashade of gray while the phonetic objects 216, 218, 220 are presented inblack. In yet another arrangement, the word objects 204 can beunderlined. Still, any other suitable effects can be applied to theletter word objects 204, the phonetic word objects 214, the letterobjects 206, 208, 210, 212 and or the phonetic objects 216, 218, 220,and the invention is not limited in this regard.

In addition to the letter and phonetic word objects 204, 214, pictures,objects or symbols can be presented in the visual field. Such pictures,objects or symbols can be presented above, below, beside and/or betweenthe letter word objects 204 and the phonetic word objects 214, orpositioned in the visual field in any other suitable manner. In onearrangement, the pictures, objects or symbols can be pictorialrepresentations of the letter and phonetic word objects 204, 214.

FIG. 3 depicts another arrangement of the conversions of textual inputpresented in FIG. 2. In particular, the conversions 200, 202 of textualinput are depicted in an arrangement in which the letter word objects204 are presented below the phonetic word objects 214. Still, the letterand phonetic word objects 204, 214 can be presented in any other mannersuitable for associating corresponding word objects 204, 214 and theinvention is not limited in this regard.

FIG. 4 depicts additional conversions 400, 402 of textual input that areuseful for understanding the present invention. When the conversion 400of a sentence extends in length so as to require a plurality of lines404, 406 to be displayed in the visual field in order to present theentire sentence, such lines 404, 406 can be adjacently positioned (e.g.the second line 406 can be presented immediately below the first line404). In this arrangement, lines 408, 410 also can be adjacentlypositioned. Further, the group of lines 408, 410 presenting the phoneticconversion 402 of the textual input sentence can be positionedadjacently to the group of lines 404, 406, thereby indicating that theconversions 400, 402 are generated from the same textual input sentence.

A second letter object conversion 412 for a next textual input sentencecan be positioned below the conversion 402, and an indicator can beprovided to indicate that the second letter object conversion 412 is notassociated with the conversion 402. For example, a graphic or additionalblank space 414 can be provided between the second letter objectconversion and the conversion 402.

FIG. 5 depicts a group of pictographs 500 corresponding to unique speechsounds that are useful for understanding the present invention. In thisregard, each pictograph 500 can depict an object entity (e.g., object,animal or person) or action likely to be familiar to a person learningto read. Thus, the objects depicted can indicate to such person a uniquespeech sound. For example, a pictograph 502 can represent the letter “a”as pronounced in the word “apple,” a pictograph 504 can represent theletter “a” as pronounced in the word “awl,” a pictograph 506 canrepresent the letter “b” as pronounced in the word “boot,” and apictograph 508 can represent the letter “d” as pronounced in the word“duck.” Some pictographs, such as the pictographs 502, 504 can representa same letter, but represent different speech sounds associated with theletter. Further, some pictographs can represent a speech soundrepresented by a plurality of letters. For example, a pictograph 510 canrepresent the letters “ch” as pronounced in the word “church.”

One or more of the pictographs 500 can include at least one visualattribute corresponding to a visual attribute of at least one respectiveletter of the text based language corresponding to the same uniquespeech sound to which the pictograph 500 corresponds. For example, thepictograph 506 depicts a boot having a lower portion 512 and a shaft 514rising from the lower portion. The lower portion 512 of the boot canrepresent an attribute for the right lower portion of the letter “b.”The shaft 514 of the boot can represent an attribute for the left linearportion of the letter “b.”

The pictographs 500 can be used as the phonetic objects previouslydescribed to form the pictograph word objects. Specifically, for eachunique speech sound in a word of the text based language, acorresponding pictograph can be selected. The group of pictographs 500can contain between twenty seven (27) and thirty three (33) distinctpictographs. For example, the group of pictographs can contain 27pictographs, 28 pictographs, 29 pictographs, 30 pictographs, 31pictographs, 32 pictographs or 33 pictographs. Further, betweenseventeen (17) and nineteen (19) of the pictographs can correspond toconsonant speech sounds. For example, the group of pictographs 500 caninclude 17, 18 or 19 pictographs that correspond to consonant speechsounds, as will be further described.

FIG. 6 depicts a group of symbols 600 corresponding to unique speechsounds that are useful for understanding the present invention. Each ofthe symbols 600 can correspond to a respective one of the pictographs500 of FIG. 5. In particular, each of the symbols 600 can correspond toa same unique speech sound as a respective pictograph 500. In thisregard, as depicted in FIG. 6, the symbols 600 are arranged in the sameorder as their corresponding pictographs 500 as depicted in FIG. 5.

In illustration, the symbols 602, 604, 606, 608, 610 can correspond tothe respective pictographs 502, 504, 506, 508, 510. For example, thesymbol 602 can represent the apple depicted in the pictograph 502, andthus represent the unique speech sound “a” as pronounced in the word“apple.” The symbol 604 can represent the awl depicted in the pictograph504, and thus represent the unique speech sound “a” as pronounced in theword “awl.” The symbol 606 can represent the boot depicted in thepictograph 506, and thus can represent the unique speech sound “b” aspronounced in the word “boot.” The symbol 608 can represent the duckdepicted in the pictograph 508, and thus can represent the unique speechsound “d” as pronounced in the word “duck.” The symbol 610 can representthe church depicted in the pictograph 510, and thus can represent theunique speech sound “ch” as pronounced in the word “church,” and so on.

One or more of the symbols 600 can include at least one visual attributecorresponding to a visual attribute of at least one respective letter ofthe text based language corresponding to the same unique speech sound towhich the symbol 600 corresponds. Further, one or more symbols 600 caninclude at least one visual attribute corresponding to visual attributeof a respective pictograph 500 corresponding to the same unique speechsound to which the symbol 600 corresponds. For example, the symbol 606can include a right lower portion 612 that corresponds to the rightlower portion of the letter “b” and the lower portion 512 of the bootdepicted in the pictograph 506. Further, the symbol 606 can include aleft linear portion 614 corresponding to the left linear portion of theletter “b” and the shaft 514 of the boot depicted in the pictograph 506.

For illustrative purposes, the name of each entity or action representedby the respective symbols 600 is listed under the symbols 600. Thesenames are not components of the symbols 600, however, but are merelyprovided to aid understanding of the description presented herein. Inother words, the symbols 600 can be rendered as previously describedwithout a requirement that the actual names of the entities be listed.

Further, several of the symbols 600 can include an attribute presentedwithin the symbols 600 to represent a particular feature depicted in arespective pictograph 500, thereby facilitating recognition of thesymbol 600 and the symbol's correlation to a respective pictograph 500by the reader. For example, one or more of the symbols 600 can include adot. In the symbol 606, the dot 616 can represent the spur on the bootdepicted in the pictograph 506. In the symbol 608, the dot 618 canrepresent the duck's head as depicted in the pictograph 508. Forillustrative purposes, underneath the name of each symbol 500 thatincludes a dot is an identification of the features of the respectivepictographs 500 to which the dots correspond. Such identifications arenot a component of the symbols 500, but merely provided to aidunderstanding of the description presented herein.

When a person, such as a child, begins to learn to read, the pictographs500 can be presented as the phonetic objects to form the phonetic wordobjects previously discussed. The person's reading ability can betracked or monitored. For example, the person's reading level can beidentified. While the person's reading level is below a threshold value,the pictographs 500 can continue to be used as the phonetic objects.When the person's reading level at least equals the threshold value, inlieu of the pictographs 500, the symbols 600 can be used as the phoneticobjects. To the reader, the symbols 600 visually may look more like theletters of the text based language than the pictographs 500, while stillhaving a visual correlation to the pictographs 500. Thus, transitioningfrom use of the pictographs to use of the symbols 600 in the readinglearning process can facilitate the eventual transition to reading textcomprising letters.

FIG. 7 depicts a group of visual attributes 700 that are useful forunderstanding the present invention. The group of visual attributes 700can include visual attributes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. The visualattributes 1-9 can be visual attributes that can be used to form certainones of the symbols 600, for example symbols 600 representingconsonants. In this regard, each symbol 600 representing a consonant canbe formed using or more of the visual attributes 1-9. The visualattribute 9 is the “dot” previously described.

A table 702 is provided to indicate entities/actions represented by thesymbols 600, which correspond to the respective pictographs 500, thealphabet letter to which the symbols 600 correspond, and the visualattributes 1-9 used to form the symbols 600. For certain symbols 600, aparticular attribute 1-9 can be used more than once. Further, the table702 indicates the respective order in which the visual attributes can becombined, proceeding from left to right.

FIG. 8 depicts a flowchart illustrating a method 800 of convertingalphabetic text written in a text based language into a non-text basedlanguage that is useful for understanding the present invention. Thenon-text based language can be a pictograph based language or a symbolbased language, depending on a person's reading level, as will bedescribed.

At step 802, text can be received as an input. The input can be receivedin any suitable manner, for example as previously described with respectto FIG. 1. At step 804, a reading level of a person can be identified.For example, a user can be prompted to enter the person's reading level,the reading level can be determined based upon a number of readingsessions completed, the reading level can be determined by an amount oftime it takes a reader to complete one or more reading sessions, thereading level can be determined based on a reading comprehensionassessment performed on the person, or the reading level can beidentified in any other suitable manner.

At decision box 806, a determination can be made as to whether theperson's reading level is below a threshold value. If the reading levelis below the threshold value, at step 808 the text can be parsed toidentify one or more words. At step 810, via a processor, datacorresponding to the word can be identified within a lexicon database.The data corresponding to the word can identify at least one pictographselected from a group of pictographs that visually look different thanthe text, wherein each pictograph in the group of pictographscorresponds to a unique speech sound of the text based language. At step812, the one or more pictographs can be rendered, for example on adisplay or on a printout generated by a printer. In illustration, thepictographs can be presented within phonetic word objects, such as thosepreviously described. Moreover, letter word objects corresponding to thetext-based language also can be rendered in proximity to the phoneticword objects to indicate corresponding relationships, for example aspreviously described, though this need not be case. For example, thephonetic word objects can be presented without the letter word objects.

Referring again to decision box 806, if the reading level of the personat least equals the threshold value, at step 814 the text can be parsedto identify one or more words. At step 816, via the processor, datacorresponding to the word can be identified within the lexicon database.The data corresponding to the word can identify at least one symbolselected from a group of symbols that visually look different than thetext, wherein each symbol in the group of symbols corresponds to aunique speech sound of the text based language. At step 818, the one ormore symbols can be rendered, for example on a display or on a printoutgenerated by a printer. In illustration, the symbols can be presentedwithin phonetic word objects, such as those previously described. Again,letter word objects corresponding to the text-based language also can berendered in proximity to the phonetic word objects to indicatecorresponding relationships, for example as previously described, thoughthis need not be case. As noted, the phonetic word objects can bepresented without the letter word objects.

Like numbers have been used to refer to the same items throughout thisspecification. The flowchart and block diagram in the Figures illustratethe architecture, functionality, and operation of possibleimplementations of systems, methods and computer program productsaccording to various embodiments of the present invention. In thisregard, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent amodule, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or moreexecutable instructions for implementing the specified logicalfunction(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagram and/or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocksin the block diagram and/or flowchart illustrations, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware andcomputer instructions.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended toinclude any structure, material, or act for performing the function incombination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of automatically converting alphabetictext written in a text based language into a non-text based language,comprising: parsing the text to identify at least one word; via aprocessor, identifying within a lexicon database data corresponding tothe word, wherein the data corresponding to the word identifies at leastone pictograph selected from a group of pictographs consisting ofbetween twenty seven and thirty three distinct pictographs that visuallylook different than the text, wherein each pictograph in the group ofpictographs corresponds to a unique speech sound of the text basedlanguage; and rendering the at least one pictograph in a view.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the group of pictographs consists of betweenseventeen and nineteen pictographs that correspond to consonant speechsounds.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein: at least one of thepictographs includes at least one visual attribute corresponding to avisual attribute of at least one respective letter of the text basedlanguage corresponding to the same unique speech sound to which thepictograph corresponds; and the at least one of the pictograph includesat least one visual attribute corresponding to visual attribute of arespective symbol in a group of symbols corresponding to the same uniquespeech sound to which the pictograph corresponds.
 4. The method of claim3, further comprising: identifying a reading level of a person; whereinrendering the at least one pictograph is performed in response to thereading level of the person being below a threshold level.
 5. A methodof automatically converting alphabetic text written in a text basedlanguage into a non-text based language, comprising: parsing the text toidentify at least one word; via a processor, identifying within alexicon database data corresponding to the word, wherein the datacorresponding to the word identifies at least one symbol selected from agroup of symbols consisting of between twenty seven and thirty threedistinct symbols that visually look different than the text, whereineach symbol in the group of symbols corresponds to a unique speech soundof the text based language; and rendering the at least one symbol in aview.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the group of symbols consists ofbetween seventeen and nineteen symbols that correspond to consonantspeech sounds.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the symbolsthat correspond to consonant speech sounds comprise at least one visualattribute, wherein the at least one visual attribute is selected from agroup of visual attributes consisting of nine distinct visualattributes.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein: the visual attribute forat least one symbol in the group of symbols includes a dot, wherein thedot corresponds to a feature depicted in a pictograph contained in agroup of pictographs, the pictograph corresponding to a same consonantsound as the symbol.
 9. The method of claim 6, wherein: at least one ofthe respective symbols in the group of symbols includes at least onevisual attribute corresponding to a visual attribute of at least onerespective letter of the text based language corresponding to the sameunique speech sound to which the symbol corresponds; and the at leastone symbol includes at least one visual attribute corresponding tovisual attribute of a respective pictograph in a group of pictographscorresponding to the same unique speech sound to which the symbolcorresponds.
 10. The method of claim 5, further comprising: identifyinga reading level of a person; wherein rendering the at least one symbolis performed in response to the reading level of the person being atleast equal to a threshold level.
 11. A method of automaticallyconverting alphabetic text written in a text based language into anon-text based language, comprising: identifying a reading level of aperson; when the reading level of the person is below a threshold level:parsing the text to identify at least one word; via a processor,identifying within a lexicon database data corresponding to the word,wherein the data corresponding to the word identifies at least onepictograph selected from a group of pictographs that visually lookdifferent than the text, wherein each pictograph in the group ofpictographs corresponds to a unique speech sound of the text basedlanguage; and rendering the at least one pictograph in a view; and whenthe reading level of the person is at least equal to the thresholdlevel: parsing the text to identify at least one word; via theprocessor, identifying within the lexicon database data corresponding tothe word, wherein the data corresponding to the word identifies at leastone symbol selected from a group of symbols that visually look differentthan the text, wherein each symbol in the group of symbols correspondsto a unique speech sound of the text based language; and rendering theat least one symbol in the view.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein:the group of pictographs consists of between twenty seven and thirtythree distinct pictographs; and the group of symbols consists of betweentwenty seven and thirty three distinct symbols.
 13. The method of claim12, wherein: the group of pictographs consists of between seventeen andnineteen pictographs that correspond to consonant speech sounds; and thegroup of symbols consists of between seventeen and nineteen symbols thatcorrespond to consonant speech sounds.
 14. A computer program productfor converting alphabetic text written in a text based language into anon-text based language, the computer program product comprising: acomputer-readable storage device having computer-readable program codeembodied therewith, the computer-readable program code comprising:computer-readable program code configured to identify a reading level ofa person; computer-readable program code configured to, when the readinglevel of the person is below a threshold level: parse the text toidentify at least one word; identify within a lexicon database datacorresponding to the word, wherein the data corresponding to the wordidentifies at least one pictograph selected from a group of pictographsthat visually look different than the text, wherein each pictograph inthe group of pictographs corresponds to a unique speech sound of thetext based language; and render the at least one pictograph in a view;and computer-readable program code configured to, when the reading levelof the person is at least equal to the threshold level: parse the textto identify at least one word; identify within the lexicon database datacorresponding to the word, wherein the data corresponding to the wordidentifies at least one symbol selected from a group of symbols thatvisually look different than the text, wherein each symbol in the groupof symbols corresponds to a unique speech sound of the text basedlanguage; and render the at least one symbol in the view.
 15. Thecomputer program product of claim 14, wherein: the group of pictographsconsists of between twenty seven and thirty three distinct pictographs;and the group of symbols consists of between twenty seven and thirtythree distinct symbols.
 16. The computer program product of claim 15,wherein: the group of pictographs consists of between seventeen andnineteen pictographs that correspond to consonant speech sounds; and thegroup of symbols consists of between seventeen and nineteen symbols thatcorrespond to consonant speech sounds.